Cape Town – Mother of three, Busisiwe Ndabangaye, has finally had a dead foetus removed from her womb, almost a week after she had been told the child's heart wasn't beating.
She was sent home last Monday after a routine check-up revealed the foetus was dead.
She was told to return the following day, but when she did, Groote Schuur Hospital – one of the largest state hospitals in Cape Town – turned her away due to a lack of beds.
On the day the Cape Argus published the story on Friday, Ndabangaye got a call from the hospital.
“They called me to tell me that I should come to Mowbray Maternity Hospital and that is where the procedure will be done. The operation was done at around 7:30am this (Sunday) morning.
“I am feeling very much relieved, but the trauma is still there,” she said.
After being given the run-around by the hospital, Ndabangaye was unhappy with the way she was treated.
Last week, the Western Cape Health Department spokesperson Darren Francis said the hospital had extended its sincere apologies and condolences to Ndabangaye and her family.
"GSH strives to render quality service and have a patient-centred approach to all of its patients. Unfortunately at GSH, despite having strict bed management processes in place, daily bed pressures are a reality due to the increasing burden of disease as well as a variety of other related issues.
"In principle we thrive towards termination of pregnancy as soon as possible. We will always try to complete the induction of labour within five to seven days, preferably same day of the diagnosis but this is often not logistically possible as there are other factors such as an available bed for the patient," Francis said.